Job Description

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

Viet Nam is undergoing a period of significant economic transformation, driven by its ambition to achieve high-income status by 2045 while transitioning towards a greener, more resilient and low-carbon development model. These ambitions are taking place in a rapidly evolving global environment, where climate change, technological transformation, changing trade and investment patterns, and increasing demands for sustainable production are reshaping the country's development opportunities and challenges.

Achieving these ambitions will require not only effective public policies and investment, but also new approaches to mobilizing and directing finance towards sustainable development. Public resources alone will not be sufficient to meet Viet Nam's development and climate financing needs. Increasingly, the challenge is to create policy, regulatory and market conditions that can mobilize domestic and international private capital and align financial flows with national development priorities.

UNDP Viet Nam works across several areas where these economic, policy and financing dimensions intersect. These include the energy transition and green growth; carbon markets and carbon pricing; biodiversity and nature finance; climate and disaster risk finance and insurance; circular economy; and sustainable private-sector development. Across these areas, UNDP combines policy advice, institutional support, innovative financing approaches and partnerships with Government, development partners, international financial institutions and the private sector.

As these areas of work evolve, there is an increasing opportunity to connect individual initiatives into a more coherent economic and financing offer. This requires understanding the economic and financial drivers underlying different development challenges; identifying synergies and opportunities across portfolios; assessing emerging policy and market developments; and translating these into strategic policy propositions, programmes and partnerships capable of mobilizing finance on a scale.

Against this background, UNDP Viet Nam is seeking an Economic and Sustainable Finance Specialist to strengthen the Country Office's capacity at the intersection of economic policy, finance and programme development. The Specialist will work across the Country Office portfolio, helping to connect economic and financing analysis with UNDP's policy advisory work, programme development, strategic positioning and resource mobilization.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the strategic guidance of the Resident Representative, the Economic and Sustainable Finance Specialist will provide integrated economic and financing analysis to strengthen UNDP Viet Nam’s policy positioning, programme development and partnerships.

The Economic and Sustainable Finance Specialist will work across UNDP’s programme portfolio to identify and articulate the economic and financing dimensions of key development transitions, including green growth, energy transition, carbon markets, biodiversity and nature finance, climate and disaster risk finance and insurance, circular economy, and other emerging areas relevant to Viet Nam’s development trajectory.

A central function of the position will be to connect policy, economics and finance: assessing how regulatory developments, public policy, market incentives and financing mechanisms interact; identifying opportunities for public and private capital; and translating these insights into coherent policy propositions, programme concepts, financing solutions and funding proposals.

The Economic and Sustainable Finance Specialist will support the Country Office in bringing together initiatives that may currently sit across different thematic portfolios into a more coherent UNDP economic and financing offer, identifying synergies, gaps and opportunities for scale. The position will also contribute to positioning UNDP with Government, international financial institutions, development finance institutions, development partners and the private sector around emerging economic and financing priorities.

The incumbent will work in close coordination with regional and global UNDP teams.

Provide integrated economic and financing analysis to strengthen UNDP’s programme portfolio and strategic positioning.

• Provide strategic advice to Country Office management and programme teams on economic and financing issues relevant to Viet Nam’s development priorities and UNDP’s programme portfolio;
• Analyze key economic, policy, regulatory and market developments and assess their implications for UNDP’s areas of engagement and future programming;
• Provide economic and financing analysis across priority areas, including green growth and energy transition, carbon markets, biodiversity and nature finance, climate and disaster risk finance and insurance, circular economy, and sustainable private-sector development;
• Assess financing needs, constraints and opportunities, including the respective roles of public finance, private capital and international development finance;
• Analyze economic viability, incentives, risks, distributional implications and potential for scale of different policy and financing approaches;
• Produce concise analytical and policy products, including policy briefs, strategic notes, senior management briefings, speeches and talking points.

Strengthen portfolio integration and develop UNDP’s economic and financing offer

• Work across programme teams to identify connections, complementarities and opportunities among UNDP initiatives and portfolios from an economic and financing perspective;
• Bring together relevant work across areas such as carbon markets, biodiversity finance, insurance and risk finance, energy transition, green growth and circular economy to develop coherent economic and financing propositions;
• Identify emerging policy, market and financing opportunities where UNDP can provide distinctive value and advice on potential areas for programme development and institutional positioning;
• Identify opportunities to move from individual interventions and pilots towards integrated approaches that can be replicated, institutionalized or scaled;
• Connect country-level opportunities with relevant UNDP regional and global expertise, initiatives and financing platforms.

Lead and support programme development, resource mobilization and financing partnerships

• Translate economic and financing analysis into concrete programme concepts, investment propositions and funding proposals aligned with national priorities and UNDP’s comparative advantage;
• Lead or substantively contribute to the preparation of high-quality concept notes, programme documents and funding proposals, working closely with relevant programme teams;
• Strengthening the economic rationale, financing strategy, theory of change and potential for scale and sustainability of new programmes and proposals;
• Identify appropriate financing approaches and instruments — including public finance, private capital, blended finance, risk-sharing mechanisms, insurance and other innovative financing approaches — according to the development challenge being addressed;
• Identify and cultivate opportunities for collaboration and financing with development partners, IFIs, DFIs, financial institutions, investors, foundations and the private sector;
• Support the development of larger and more integrated programmes by connecting opportunities and financing propositions emerging across UNDP’s portfolio.

Provide policy advisory support, partnership engagement and contribute to UNDP knowledge networks

• Provide economic and financing policy advice to Government counterparts and other partners, in close collaboration with relevant UNDP programme teams;
• Support policy dialogue on economic and financing issues related to Viet Nam’s development transitions and facilitate access to relevant regional and global expertise;
• Contribute, in close collaboration with Senior Management, to strengthening partnerships with Government, UN agencies, IFIs, DFIs, bilateral development partners, financial institutions, the private sector, academia and other relevant stakeholders;
• Participate in relevant policy dialogues, conferences, technical discussions and other forums;
• Participate in UNDP regional and global economic and sustainable finance networks and contribute Viet Nam experience and analysis to relevant knowledge initiatives;
• Facilitate the exchange and application of relevant international experience and innovative approaches to Viet Nam’s development context.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direction & Strategy

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management

• Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity
• Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management
• Human-centered Design: Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process Knowledge and understanding of human centred design principles and practices

Digital

• Data literacy: Understand the potential as well as the limitations of using data driven innovation. Ability to use a mix of data sources (quantitative, qualitative or real- time techniques) to develop understanding, identify patterns to inform decision making or identify opportunities for further exploration
• Co-creation: Ability to design and facilitate a process that enables a diverse group of stakeholders to solve a common problem, develop practice, or create knowledge together. Ability to embrace diversity, work with a diverse group of stakeholders understand their interests, perspectives and views and tap into them as a source for creativity. Ability to facilitate processes and create conditions that are open for diverse inputs, stimulate collaboration and sharing.

Programme & Policy

• Crisis and Fragility Policy and Engagement: Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data to form meaningful insights and aid effective business decision making
• SDG Integration: Economic Forecasting

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, or related fields is required. OR:
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A PhD in Economics, Finance, Public Policy or related field is an advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in economics, development finance, sustainable finance, public finance, financial sector development, or related fields.

Required skills and experiences:

• Demonstrated experience in applying economic and financial analysis to development policy, programmes, or investment challenges;
• Demonstrated experience in programme development, including the preparation of concept notes, funding proposals, investment propositions or similar instruments;
• Experience in sustainable or development finance, with exposure to areas such as climate and green finance, carbon markets, biodiversity and nature finance, insurance and risk finance, energy transition, blended finance, or private-sector finance;
• Experience in providing policy or technical advisory support to government institutions and/or engaging with financial institutions, development partners, IFIs, DFIs or the private sector;
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and synthesize complex economic, policy and financing issues and translate them into clear strategic and programmatic recommendations.

Desired skills and experiences:

• Experience working across different development sectors and identifying linkages between policy, economic and financing issues;
• Experience developing partnerships and resource mobilization opportunities with development partners, IFIs, DFIs, financial institutions and/or private-sector actors;
• Experience working in Viet Nam and/or the Asia-Pacific region;
• Prior experience with UN/UNDP, international financial institutions, development finance institutions or other international development organizations;
• Experience working in emerging-market and developing-country contexts.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

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